Instead of denting her smile, Shane’s scowl made her laugh. Even more men took notice. “There’s my Oscar. I’ve missed you.”
His brows snapped lower when she leaned in and nipped at his jaw.
She looked over her shoulder. “Am I not supposed to kiss the boss? Is that frowned upon?”
“Jesus, Sunshine.”
She gripped his forearm, and the soft press of her breast kicked him where it hurt. “Well, I can’t be in too much trouble.” She jammed her hand into the crook of his arm until he loosened and let her in. “I didn’t realize there were so many young guys on the crew.”
He focused his gaze on the dozen pairs of eyes that looked their way instead of the woman by his side who smelled of horses, hay, and wildflowers. A sprig of wheat hung drunkenly from her hair. He picked it out, hooking his hand around her waist.
Half of the men fell back into line, but a few still remained. Especially one who was far too cocky for his peace of mind. He’d gotten the lowdown on the trio he’d been worried about. And as he’d figured, Murphy had spilled all sorts of information.
Lon Mackie—an ex-football jock who continued to live vicariously through the memory of his glory days—watched intently. He hadn’t gotten the memo that those glory days were fifteen years back.
She gave Shane a side eye. “You didn’t just stake your claim or something equally asinine, did you?”
He dug his fingers into her belt loops. “Why? Have designs on someone new, Kendall?”
“Well, there are quite a few men to choose from here. Ones that certainly have a better disposition than you, Oscar.”
He stiffened and dropped his hand.
“God, you’re no fun to tease.” She laughed and hitched her shoulder under his arm until he had no choice but to push her away or let her in against his body. Because she smelled so good, he opted for the latter.
“I’m a sweaty mess.”
“Manly sweat and sawdust make me weak in the knees.”
“They do not.”
She giggled. “How do you know?”
He rested his chin against the top of her head. He hadn’t known he’d missed her until she showed up. His muscles loosened, leaving his shoulders to ache. In just a few days she’d burrowed into him until he couldn’t think without her in the vicinity. That was dangerous and stupid. She wasn’t his to keep. Wasn’t his to worry about.
“Where have you been?”
She peered up at him. “Earning my keep.”
He frowned. “You don’t need to do that. This job will pay for us to get to Bradley as well as have plenty of spending money. Hell, we’ll even have money for the house if it needs upgrades.”
She stiffened. “Why would the Heron need upgrades?”
“Every house needs upgrades.”
She pressed her cheek against his chest, oddly quiet. Especially for Kendall. He nudged her back. “What?”
“Now you’re going to get talkative?”
His lips twitched, but he managed not to laugh. His Kendall was a mouthy one. “We’ve agreed not to talk about New York until we get there, but I need to know what I’m in for.”
“It’s a B and B, plain and simple. We have a dock, a half dozen good-sized rooms, and four acres of land that we own. We’re on a lake, and the area isn’t overly developed. It’s beautiful.”
He heard the wistfulness in her voice. Even with just a few words he could picture it. He’d looked at the area on the Web and knew it was close to the national parks in the northern part of New York. But not exactly on state land. Their lake was smaller, more remote.
Good for a getaway.
Good for a developer who would want to cash in on the picturesque Northeast.
“Do you actually have herons?”
He felt her cheeks stretch into a smile against his chest. “Yes, quite a few, actually. More Canadian geese than I’d like, but we have a cheerful mutt named Brody that keeps them moving for the most part. I take the fishing trawler out a lot—both for tours and just to even out when I get to…”
Shane smoothed his hand down her ponytail and cupped her nape. He did the same with wood and didn’t need her to explain. He lowered his head and caught her mouth in a slow, thorough kiss. After a long day in the dust and listening to men cracking on each other, her taste was as welcome as an icy beer. He drank her in, forgetting where he was for a moment. She tasted of candy and heat, of things he’d never known he wanted. That Kendall taste he couldn’t get enough of.
The shrill whistle jerked him back to his surroundings.
“Does that come with overtime?” Lon cracked. “I’ll be workin’ plenty of hours, then.”
Shane bristled.
Kendall flicked her finger along his beard and tapped his chin. “He’s teasing.”
Shane gave him a hard stare across the hallway. Lon put his hands up. “Boss perks. Got it.”
“Relax. He’s just jealous.” She popped her foot up and went on her toes to brush her lips against his.
He wrapped his other hand in the coiling fat curl of her ponytail and looked down at her. Her dark eyes flashed, and his half-ready cock hardened. “I think I need a break.”
Her eyes widened, and a half laugh escaped her. “Wouldn’t that be a little obvious?”
“I don’t care.”
“What if I do?”
He wrapped another length of her hair around his fingers until he hit the top of her tail. “Do you?” Her throat worked as he let her go and clasped her hand, leading her down the hall. “I just need a second.” He whisked her into the large stall at the front of the stables. The men were working at the back, framing out the twenty stalls that lined the walkway. This room was blessedly empty.
The sweet scent of hay lured him closer. A shaft of sun highlighted one bale, and he drew her down beside him. He pulled her into his lap until a knee perched on either side of him.
“Do you really think we should do this on the first day?”
“I haven’t seen you in hours. I just want—” He cut himself off to nuzzle her neck. Salty with the day, her taste filled his mouth. She lowered herself until the seam of her jeans rubbed along his strangled cock.
“Oh, well, then. I see.”
He grunted and caught her mouth. “No talking,” he mumbled.
She moaned into his mouth, and he filled his hands with her ass, grinding her against him. The quick shudder of her breath and the roll of her hips was worth a little hiding. He wanted to rip off her jeans and slam inside her until dust motes, sweat, and exhaustion were just a by-product of her. Until he heard the sound that meant she was close. That twist of her fingers in his hair, the way she palmed the top of his head when she was almost there.
He groaned into her mouth at the first scrape of her nails in his scalp. She surged against him, her breasts flush to his chest and her arms wrapping him in a cocoon of apples and a hint of lemon Life Savers. Christ, she was going to kill him. He latched his mouth on to her neck and tried to slow down the train.
The only stop he wanted was inside her, after his breath was a gasp because she rode him into oblivion. He pressed his forehead into her neck and gripped her back, trying desperately to hold her still. “Kendall.”
The purring moan that was half whine made him grin into her skin. “Don’t stop. Right there, I’m so close,” she moaned. Restless hips undulated against his aching cock, and he would have happily done anything not to stop. A whole different kind of banging came into the forefront of his hearing. In between the rasping breaths that made him so hard he was entirely sure he’d lose his fucking mind, he could hear the compressor from a nail gun coming their way.
He slammed her down on his lap and ground into her. The quick rasp of her voice made him groan.
“So close,” she whispered into his ear. Her breath was hot and hitching.
He dug his fingertips into the supple muscles of her back, and he rose against her rolling hips. “Christ, are you going to come just from this?�
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She palmed the top of his head and latched her mouth over his. Fucking shit, she was. He kept up the steady bump against her even as his abdominal muscles shrieked and burned in time with his thigh muscles. She turned her cheek so theirs were side by side, and her breath cracked. He stilled under her as she ground into him so hard he knew he’d be wearing the indent of his zipper.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her head tipped back as she finally made the tiny shuddering moan he’d forever hear in his dreams. He brought his hand up between them and laid it on her chest. Her heart slammed like a kick drum under his palm. He nipped her chin.
She sagged against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He gripped her ponytail and brought her gaze up to his. Her pupils were wide open, leaving only a sliver of iris and her face flushed from wanting him. Humbled, he felt his heart turn. “What the hell for?”
“I didn’t mean… I—” She groaned and bumped her forehead into his shoulder. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“You’re damn lucky it wasn’t me.” Her laugh was sexy and low. He let her hair slide from his fingers and tipped her chin up. “You are so unbelievably fucking hot.”
She flicked her tongue along her dry lips. “Only with you, evidently.”
He dragged her in. Unable to leave her swollen lips alone, he teased open her mouth for a last lingering taste. She lightly scratched her way down the back of his skull to rest her fingers at his neck. Voices and the snick of nails pounding into pine brought him around again. He set her beside him on the hay bale and untucked his shirt. His dick was so hard he needed a minute to adjust. Her nails dug into his upper thigh. He dragged her hand down to his knee and laced their fingers.
With her cheek against his shoulder, he slowly relaxed.
“I didn’t mean to do that.”
He squeezed her hand. “You damn well should. Daily. Fuck, Sunshine.”
“I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“I haven’t taken a break since I got here. Besides, you’re better than any coffee or soda I could go find.” Needing a minute to get himself together, he brushed an absent kiss along her temple. “What have you been up to?”
She nuzzled against his shirt. “I met Lucinda, the housekeeper. She’s mildly terrifying in a completely nurturing way.”
He laughed and enjoyed the feel of her against him. “I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not.”
“I’m still deciding. I like it here. I’ve been near a lot of animals over the years but never horses. Once Evelyn—that’s the horse trainer—figured out I had a strong back, she had me in the stables.”
He took a sniff. “You don’t smell like horseshit.”
Kendall snorted into his shirt. “No, I got lucky there. She taught me how to rip apart hay bales and feed and water the horses.”
That was why she tasted a little salty. “I’m doing this so you don’t have to slog through a job.”
Her head popped up. “I earn my keep, Shane. So don’t worry about me. I like it. As long as I don’t have to muck out the stalls.”
Keeping her busy was a good idea. Especially with the level of work he’d be doing. He didn’t have time to make sure she wasn’t getting into any trouble. He nodded. “I get that. It’s a good plan.”
“Well, gee, thanks. I’m glad you approve.”
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t get all snarly. Besides, you smell like hay and sunshine. I like it.”
Her eyes softened, and he cursed himself for wanting to please her. Such a bad fucking idea. In less than ten days the reality of their situation was going to kill the happy peace between them. He squeezed her hand and stood. “Thanks for being my ten-minute break.”
A little frown line settled between her eyes before she grinned up at him. “I’ll see you for dinner?”
He smoothed his palm along the back of his neck, missing her touch already. “Not sure. We might be pulling a long shift today to get things back on track.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll find you later.” She brushed past him, and he snagged her wrist, hauling her back up against his chest. As usual Kendall melted into him, gentling him where he forgot to be gentle.
He opened his eyes first and caught the sweet smile on her upturned face. Dusky lashes rested against her sun-kissed cheeks and finally fluttered open. She made him want to be easygoing. It was an alien feeling. He tucked a stray tendril of hair around her ear. “Get out of here. You’re distracting the men.”
Her smile widened. “I always wanted to be a distraction.”
If she only knew.
She slipped away, her hips swaying as she bounced out the front doors into the sunshine. He stepped out of the stall to hear a long whistle from a half dozen men. “All right, all right. That overtime isn’t going to happen if I don’t see a dent in at least ten stalls. Move!”
There were a few grumbles but mostly snickers as hammering, saws, and pops of compressed air filled the room. This he understood.
KENDALL HIKED UP through bronzing fields dry with fall and the still-blazing heat of the sun. Utah hadn’t gotten the memo that it was mid-November. Now that she was away from Shane, she tied the sleeves of her overshirt around her hips and let the breeze cool her shoulders.
The man was so hard to read. He was wild and rough around the edges, and each time he touched her she splintered into pieces. She didn’t know when she’d ever felt more out of control and happy at the same time in her entire life. Free to do her own thing, she’d found herself working harder than when she was at the Heron.
But the backbreaking work cleared her mind. Evelyn Marsh was the perfect outlet for the days that tumbled in front of her. Kendall jogged the last few yard to the old stables and smiled when her new friend waved her into the foaling section. Evelyn was a leggy brunette who was as coltish as her charges. She was lean and sun roughened. Crinkles at the edges of her eyes spoke of the outdoors, but Kendall couldn’t name Evelyn’s age to save her life.
She wasn’t young, but she was virile and powerful in a way Kendall hoped to be someday.
“Come see my new baby.”
Kendall hooked her palm around the faded wood and peered through the bars of the wrought-iron framework over the door. “Oh, Evelyn.”
“I know. Isn’t she just the most beautiful thing you ever did see?” Evelyn knelt in the middle of a fresh spread of hay with a softly snuffing mama horse. The mare had a deep blue-black coat. The new baby was shaky but matched her mama in coloring save for a snowy slash of white down its nose. “Her name’s Hannah.”
Kendall slowly crept in and lowered herself in front of the spindle-legged baby. Hannah took a tumble, her hooves clunking together before she righted herself and scampered back to her mother. Kendall jammed her fingers between her knees and watched in awe as the mother nuzzled her baby. “They’re beautiful.”
Evelyn crawled over to the mare and stroked her head. “Callie did an amazing job.”
“When did she give birth?”
“Just last night.”
“And the baby’s already walking around?”
“Yep. Horses don’t crawl. Hannah will be clumsy for a bit, but she’ll be running around the paddock by tomorrow.”
Amazed, Kendall fell back onto her booted heels. “So fast.”
“As cyclical as everything is on a farm, one thing moves at lightning speed—change.” Evelyn stood and slapped her hands on her knees to dust off the hay. “My, don’t you have a blush in your cheeks. Somehow I don’t think that’s from just being outside.”
“It is pretty hot.”
Evelyn hooked her arm into Kendall’s. “You’ve got sex eyes.”
“I do not.”
Evelyn laughed. “You do. And that quick response says to me that you definitely had it or almost had it.” She grabbed her hat off the post outside the stall. “Or you just enjoyed a little whisker burn with your visit to the new stables.”
Kendall swiped her hand ov
er her face with a wince. “Is it that obvious?”
Evelyn shrugged. “Either you found yourself a randy cowboy at the stables—which isn’t hard—or you went and saw your little boy toy.”
“I don’t have a—”
“Everyone’s buzzing about Shane Justice. I saw you two roll in together this morning. I get the feeling that you aren’t quite boyfriend/girlfriend, but you’re not strangers either.”
Confused, she peered up at her. “How…”
“That man watches you like you’re a steak and a hot fudge sundae wrapped up in a silky bow.” Evelyn sighed. “I remember when Doyle used to look at me like that.”
Dumbfounded, Kendall followed her out of the barn. “You and Will?”
“We scratched the itch sometimes. After his wife died, he wasn’t all fired up to do much more than lose a few random hours in the middle of the night. It suited me until it didn’t.”
They walked in companionable silence. Was that all she and Shane would be? Random hours that filled the time until New York? That was all she wanted. All she was supposed to want. But after last night’s weirdness, she didn’t know. Even if she’d hopped on his lap easily enough a few minutes ago.
She found herself wanting to share the Heron with him. Instead of just telling him about her favorite spots, she wanted to show them to him. She wanted to see him there on her dock and look out on the water with his warm chest at her back.
Which was stupid. He’d probably want to sell and wash his hands of her. There was so much she wanted to do with it, but the only steady customers she had were fishermen. And she couldn’t turn them away, or she’d be out of business in a month.
She’d blocked out the reality of her situation for days now. She was so afraid the B and B would be gone and so would he. Maybe if she kept talking it up, she could convince him to see the Heron like she did.
And just maybe he’d see the bed-and-breakfast as something more than a moneymaker that would fetch them the highest dollar for a sale.
Evelyn’s voice gentled. “I’m not sure what’s going on in that head of yours, but I’ll give you a piece of unsolicited advice.”
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